Frank Merlin Stuart Sr.

Frank Merlin Stuart, Sr., age 65, died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia at home in Metairie, LA surrounded by family on April 19, 2018. Frank is survived by his devoted wife of 22 years, Sheree Kerner, his loving mother Beverly Stuart, and his children Marissa, Brenna, Frank Jr., Bailey, and Amberly Stuart, as well as his grandchildren Emma Stuart and William Cameron Wood. He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter Kylah and his father, Marion. He is also mourned by his nephews Daniel and Dylan Lane, his niece Katelyn Kerner, as well as his business partner and valued friend of many years, Tommy Martin. He leaves behind a host of friends here and around the world, including his many engineering associates and staff colleagues. Frank was a graduate of Holy Cross High School and relished his days playing the saxophone in both the Holy Cross and Louisiana Tech University marching bands. He graduated earning a Bachelor and Master's degrees in civil engineering from Louisiana Tech University, then was awarded a Master of business administration degree from the University of New Orleans. Frank began his engineering career with Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. then moved on to Perez & Associates, the lead architectural firm for the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans, in a leadership role he was most proud of. He briefly started his first firm EPG and worked closely with Mayor Dutch Morial, then decided to serve as Director of Streets for the City of New Orleans under Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. He was active in civic and political affairs of the community. He went on to work with AECOM, an international engineering firm and opened their local office here in New Orleans. In 2003, he founded Stuart Consulting Group, an engineering firm with an international client base and locations in Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana. He actively participated in the recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina developing an extraordinary talent for obtaining FEMA funding for relief from weather disasters. He also worked on the BP oil spill disaster in Lafitte, assisting and managing clean-up activities, which was the likely cause of his Leukemia. He went on to help many parishes and communities in the Gulf Coast area obtain FEMA funding for relief after the latest weather disasters, including Houston where his firm is managing a large portion of the recovery effort there. He was a member of several professional engineering and social organizations, including the Krewe of Bacchus. He was an avid Saints and LSU Tiger fan all his life, an avid skier, and his hobbies included fishing, motorcycles, and breeding of German Shepherds when he was a teenager. He encouraged his two youngest daughters to become 4th degree black-belts in Tae Kwon Do and achieved a 3rd degree black-belt for himself at Old Metairie Tiger Rock. But Frank's true passion was traveling in his RV with his family across country to visit national parks, places like Williamsburg and Disney, and various campgrounds. He had recently upgraded to a newer RV, and it was his life dream to retire and travel around the country with Sheree starting this year. It was his plan to enjoy his retirement to the fullest. His family wishes to acknowledge the many expressions of support during his illness and the untiring efforts of the doctors, nurses, and staff at East Jefferson Memorial Hospital, University Medical Center, and Tulane University Hospital. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be will be held at City Park Pavilion of Two Sisters, April 27 from 2:00-4:00 pm. Donations can be made payable to Holy Cross High School for the band department by sending checks to Stuart Consulting Group 1018 Central Ave, Suite 200, Metairie, LA 70001, or visit www.gofundme.com/frankstuartsr. Also, blood donations in his name are still being sought by East Jefferson Hospital where he received 21 pints of blood and many more at University Medical Center. BP has caused disappearing victims succumbing to cancer years later. If you or a loved one believe you are a victim, please email sheree@nawlinsnotary.com.